Date: 3/13/25 3:36 am From: ARUNACHALAM RAMANAN <aramanan57...> Subject: Re: [Arlington Birds] Red-Tails in love and war
Thanks Paul for a well articulated narration about red tails love and war. Quite an impressive story. Ram
On Thu, Mar 13, 2025, 6:09 AM 'PAUL ROBERTS' via Arlington Birds < <arlingtonbirds...> wrote:
> Good questions, Nina. Red-tailed Hawks are courting now. Urban males are > seeking to (re-)establish a nesting territory (and nest), reaffirm pair > bonds or attract a new female. Often an existing pair may have several > nests or proto-nests; (partially built but previously unoccupied nests that > they have built for multiple reasons, including using them as indicators > the territory is already occupied, or alternatives should the nest used > previously have been occupied by a Great Horned Owl or blown down in a > storm.) Great Horned Owls, for example, are the earliest nesters, but > usually don't build their nests or do much maintenance. Every year they > appropriate nests built by other birds, often Red-tailed Hawks. A pair of > Red-taileds that nested in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery for years lost their nest > to a pair of "newly-wed Bald Eagles that took over their nest, "clear cut" > the branches around it, and built an enormous nest in its place, before the > Redails began laying eggs. > > In early spring Redtails need to improve or touch up any nests they've > built to show current, active ownership. Then they must establish or > re-establish the boundaries of the nesting territory they will maintain, > and the more expansive critical hunting territory they will defend. They > typically do this by aerial displays that include threats and intimidation > but rarely actual fighting, which is very risky for both parties. There are > hard boundaries and soft ones, and if there is a neighboring male/pair, > they have to re-establlish those every year. That is usually done through > soaring displays and vocalizations, including tail chases, and dropping > talons, but rarely any actual combat. Talon locking in raptors is now > believed to be agonistic behavior that has little or nothing to do with > actual romance or courtship of another gender. Courting birds, especially > males, wills seek to "sky dance" with the female, to "duet" with her, by > mirroring her movements much like in pairs figure-skating, or the male > will attempt impressive dives to show his physical abilities. Locking > talons is "nuclear war," when bluffs and intimidation don't work. Over a > decade ago two Redtails locked talons over the Mystic Lakes, crashed to the > trail, and one male dispatched the other. (We removed and buried the > carcass.) When a male does successfully defend his territory/nest/mate > early in the spring, he is often "rewarded" with an opportunity to copulate > with her. > One pair on the Mystic Lakes had built seven nests or proto-nests. A > heavy early April snowstorm brought down the largest nest they had used > successfully the year before, as well as two proto-nests. They ultimately > nested successfully in an eighth nest I had not discovered (could not > actually see) when the foliage emerged. > Pairs of urban Redtails in Massachusetts don't tend to migrate and > generally keep close to their nesting territory. Thus the 3 or more you > might see soaring together likely includes a new bird seeking a mate, or > working to establish boundaries for a territory it is attempting to > delineate. Note that most Redtails do not nest and breed until they are > four years old and there can be intense competition for good nesting > territories, which means challenging owners of territory already occupied. > Most disputes are settled without physical contact. > > Best, > Paul > > Paul M. Roberts > Medford, MA > <phawk254...> > > -- > Group home page: > https://menotomybirdclub.com/ > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Arlington Birds" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to arlingtonbirds+<unsubscribe...> > To view this discussion visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/arlingtonbirds/<1514691694.63109.1741860567119...> > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/arlingtonbirds/<1514691694.63109.1741860567119...>?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . >
